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Now, with her looking at him in the early morning light, he realized he'd underestimated her natural beauty.
She wore no makeup, but somehow that only made her more pretty, more alluring. He cleared his throat, realizing she'd probably noticed how he was looking at her with such approval.
He gestured to two cushions he'd placed at the side of the table. "Have a seat," he said.
She plopped down onto the cushion. Her movement gave him a chance to see the curves of her body as she sat down. He loved the easy way she moved, how she crossed her legs effortlessly beneath herself.
She glanced up at him, as if waiting for him to sit next to her. He did just that.
They both helped themselves to the food and were silent for a few minutes while they ate.
Finally he glanced at her. "What are your plans for the day?" he asked.
She looked surprised by the question. She gazed around the encampment and frowned. "I think my options are a bit limited. Don't you think?" she joked.
He smiled and she rolled her eyes. "Just joking. I'm really grateful you let me come here," she stated.
He shook his head. "There's no need to be grateful. The pleasure is all mine. I can assure you."
Her eyes narrowed and she was silent for a while, eating slowly and thoughtfully. Was she thinking about last night?
He wondered if she was able to forget seeing him like that. Whether it would prompt her to do something in response. Perhaps even avoid him.
So far, there had been no sign of awkwardness in her manner toward him. She'd met his gaze with the same direct response she'd done every time they'd been with each other.
He was already beginning to feel that he'd known her a long time, even though it had been barely forty-eight hours.
"You must tell me more about yourself," he probed.
Immediately he saw her body stiffen. She smiled at him, obviously trying to mask her reaction. "Why?"
He shrugged. "I'd love to hear about your life back in the States." He saw her brows furrow imperceptibly. "But, if you don't want to, I understand," he added quickly.
She shook her head. "No, it's fine. Just that I wouldn't know where to start. I mean my whole life is pretty public as it is," she explained.
"I don't spend a whole lot of time online. Especially in the places where you would be found," he said.
"But, I thought you own a media company, like Rashid."
He shook his head. "His company isn't quite like mine," he said slowly.
"In what way?"
"It's hard to explain," he said. "Let's just say that Rashid's idea of a Qazhar media company has never been the same as mine."
She bit into some dried fruit and gazed at him. He could see she was thinking what to ask next.
How much should he tell her? He thought about that for a few moments and concluded that out here, in this wilderness, the only real option was total honesty.
Especially if he wanted to win her over to his way of seeing things. He figured that was part of the reason she'd come here in the first place. To see things from a different perspective. To see him in a new light. Well, maybe last night she had done just that, he told himself.
"Rashid is interested in different things than I am," he said. He saw she was suddenly curious. "He brought you to Qazhar because he thought you would be perfect for portraying the kingdom to the outside world. Rashid is outward looking. He's interested in showing the whole world how modern Qazhar can be."
"What's wrong with that?" she asked.
"Nothing," he replied. "If that's what he wants, then he's free to go for it."
"And you?" she asked. "What about you?"
